Seeder device

ABSTRACT

A device for planting seeds in an orderly array which has a plurality of suction needles adapted to be positioned over a seed-carrying tray, an air supply for first pulling air through the needles to removably attach a seed to the end of each needle and then blowing air through the needles to expel seeds, transfer means for separating the needles from the tray so that the needles will be in a position where discharge of the seeds from the end of the needles will cause them to fall in an ordered array on an area to be seeded, additional means for making sure the seeds do not stick to the ends of the needles, and valve means for changing the flow of air through said needles.

[ June 12, 1973 United States Patent [1 1 Fine et al.

[ SEEDER DEVICE Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. [76] AssistantExaminer-Michael Mar Inventors: Hyman M. Fine, 245 Smith Street; I

James L McKeamey, 10 Reynolds Attorneyl-lerbert W. Kenway, Melvin R.Jenney, Street, both of Attleboro, Mass. Townsend Gunn et 02703 ABSTRACT[22] Filed: July 26, 1971 h t a .u r s .w mh m mm p swfin em w ..l b awewm m y m el I l S b t a p w etef y U h fl o mi t flmuma f a rO m 1 aowaml d ..t a y w hs da c d s tmellt w S ee d d nPm .m 0r. y her6W S.lr. Cn f aO S m mm l w mm mm nf mw m mw y r.

uuah mw m o mf ee fe h f mmm immm w d m 6 8m m e d nH CFD.. 6Ahfinrmmwwm UNITED STATES PATENTS dered array on an area to be seeded,additional means for making sure the seeds do not stick to the ends ofthe needles, and valve means for chan ging the flow of air through saidneedles.

HX 21 /l 1 2Q 21 .2 2

Clow. ..22l/2llX 73/425 6 12/1971 Kerker..............

3/1951 Tasche... 3/1966 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures mmrzumv 5.738.530.

SHE-El 1 0f 3 FIG. I

INVENTOR$ HYMAN M. FINE JAMES L. McKEARNEY Mg, II

ATTORNEYS PATENTEI] Jim 1 2 SHEEI 2 I]! 3 INVENTORS HYMAN M. FINE JAMESL. MCKEARNEY BY v ATTORNEYS PAIENIEBJUHZW 3738.530

FIG. 3 I

INVENTORS HYMAN M. FINE JAMES L. MCKEARNEY ATTORNEYS SEEDER DEVICEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the flower growing industry, where manythousands of flowers are grown for the various special seasons of theyear such as Easter, Christmas, Memorial Day, etc., as well as duringthe rest of the year, in order to have flowers in bloom, for example, onEaster day, the seeds must be planted and kept at proper temperature asearly as January of the year. In most of the planting operations today,so called flats are used which are shallow boxes about a foot and a halfon the side. These are filled with dirt, and then the seeds are strewnby hand over the flat, preferably in rows, but nevertheless there islittle or no attempt to separate the seeds. When the seeds havegerminated and grown to about 2 inches high (for example), the bunchedseedlings are manually separated so that each seedling (or possibly twoor three) can then be transplanted into another flat or possibly afield. Thus, when the flowers mature, there will be one or two flowerstalks per bunch.

The manual labor is very expensive to carry out the above operations.For example, planting 50,000 petunias by this method requires fourlaborers working at least 1 month. Labor is expensive.

Another drawback is that in order to prepare, for example, a hundredthousand petunias for the Easter season, they must be planted in Januaryand then transplanted starting the first of February. Between plantingin the flats originally and transplanting in February and later months,one must work steadily starting in January of a given year right up tothe Easter period. Again, this requires months of expensive labor.

Another and better way of doing this is not to use the flats, but to usewhat are termed packs (a shallow box about 5 inches wide, 7 inches long,and 2 inches deep filled with soil). In this case, attempts have beenmade to plant the individual flower seeds in an orderly array in thepack. Perhaps only one seed is planted at each spot in the pack, but insome cases possibly two or three seeds may be needed to be planted ateach location.

Obviously, if such packs are to be seeded by hand, again the labor costbecomes very high. As a result, during the last several years attemptshave been made to develop machinery which will automatically do theplanting in packs in accordance with a predetermined array and number ofseeds per location. Such machinery has at best been only moderatelysuccessful, due to difficulties in handling the small seeds, jamming ofthe pick-up devices by the seeds, failure of the device to properlydischarge the seeds, and so forth.

Part of the problem of planting seeds arises from the size and value ofthe seeds themselves. Many flower seeds cost up to $12,000 or more perpound, and in a pound thereof there may be as many as 250,000 indi'vidual seeds which are very small and light. If the machine isnotvirtually foolproof and operates improperly, the seeds may becomespilled or blow away, and resulting loss being extremely costly to theflower grower. The extent of the market for flowers is given from theabove, and particularly when it is realized that a given horticulturistmay grow for the market up to a million petunias, just to name oneflower. He may also plant thousands or more of each of several differentvarieties of flowers. The size of this kind of operation indicates howimportant it is to eliminate part of the high labor cost presentlyencountered.

There is a machine on the market using suction needles which are placedover a tray holding the seeds to pick up seeds. The needles and seedsare then moved to a position over a pack, and the flow of air isreversed to discharge the seeds. The present invention concerns itselfwith improvements on such machines in order to provide a planting devicein which the proper pick-up of seeds and subsequent discharge, are morecertain. Furthermore, it is possible with the machine of this inventionto have a better control over the quantity of seeds that will be plantedin one spot in or on the pack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the general purpose of thisinvention to provide an apparatus which will plant seeds in an orderlyarray in the above specified packs, the planting being done with aminimum of labor and on a semiautomatic or automatic basis.

Among the several provisions and objects of the invention, may be notedthe following:

One object of the invention is the provision of an automatic orsemi-automatic seed planter capable of planting a plurality of seeds inan orderly array over an area.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove kind in which air means are used first to pick up seeds from atray, and then discharge the seeds in their proper locations above anarea to be seeded.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a seed planter ofeither of the above kinds, in which additional mechanical means are usedto assist in preventing the seeds from sticking to the ends of thesuction means used, so that seeds will always be discharged from thelatter.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of thelast kind in which the mechanical means to assist in discharging theseeds is combined with additional means for causing air to flowoutwardly from the seed holding means, the combination being effectiveto discharge the seeds positively.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a seedplanter of the last named kind, in which the mechanical assist means isa porous means having a smooth surface to which seeds will not stick.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obviousand in part pointed out hereinafter.

Accordingly, the invention comprises the elements and combinations ofelements, features of construction, arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which two of the various possibleembodiments of the invention are illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the FIG. 1 embodiment, partly in section;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of a portion of the FIG. 1embodiment, given to show in greater detail the interior construction ofa portion of the seed trans fer mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a portion of one of the suction needles ofthe FIG. 1 embodiment, showing in enlarged manner certain details ofconstruction; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing in section a portion ofa suction needle used in another embodiment of the invention.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings, and

dimensions of certain of the parts as shown in the drawings may havebeen modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity ofillustration and understanding of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a stand 2 is shown, comprising rectangular topframe 4 made of strips of angle iron welded or otherwise fastened attheir corners (see FIG. 2), the frame having an open central portion 6.Frame 4 is supported by four legs 8, these legs also being constructedof angle iron and being reinforced by the cross rails as shown. Therails 10 are so positioned as to provide a space below them for apurpose later to be described.

Fastened to the frame 4 is the platform 12 to which are fastened stopmembers 14 and 16 extending across the platform. Between these two stopmembers extend spaced-apart guide rails 18. (In FIG. 2, one of theseguide rails is shown, and it will be understood that a similar guiderail exists on-the other side of platform 12 spaced from the rail 18Slidable on the platform 12 between guide rails 18 and between the stopmembers 14.and 16 is seedcarrying tray 22. The seed tray occupies twoterminal positions and in FIG. 2, the tray 22 is shown in full lines inone position in which seeds may be taken therefrom. Also, in FIG. 2, theother terminal position is shown (dotted lines 24), the terminalpositions being determined by stop members 14 and 17. A convenienthandle 26 is provided for grasping the seed tray-and moving it, althoughit will be understood that while a manual means for moving the tray isshown in this embodiment, the basic structure could be adapted forautomatically moving the seed tray by properly designed machinery.

Seed tray 22 is provided with a plurality of recesses 28 which areadapted to hold the seeds which are to be planted by the apparatus.Recesses 28 are arranged in a predetermined order or array, andcorrespond in number to the total number of locations in which it isdesired to plant the seeds in a plurality of packs at one time.Therefore, for the purpose of illustration, assume that in a given pack,the array of seed locations will comprise three spaced-apart rows witheach row con-' taining four spaced-apart seeds. As explained later, fourpacks are to be planted simultaneously, so there will be a total of 48seed locations. Consequently, there will be 48 recesses in the seed-tray22. FIG. 2 shows six recesses in a row, and there are eight such rows.

Each recess of tray 22 is adapted to hold a number of seeds to beplanted, and by localizing the seeds in this manner, it makes itpossible for each of the seed transfer suction needles always to have asupply of seeds. This compares to a single open tray on the bottom ofwhich the seeds can move about freely. In such a case, a given suctionneedle can at times locate at a spot where there are no seeds.

A plurality of guide tubes 30 made of synthetic plastic material (orother convenient tubing such as aluminum) are provided, whose upper endsare mounted by convenient means in suitable holes in the platform 12.Further support is given by a lower plate 32 which is fastened beneaththe rails 4 forming the top of the stand. One such guide tube isprovided for each recess and underlies the recess when the tray is inthe position shown in FIG. 2, and thus there are 48 such guide tubes andat their upper ends they are in the same array dimensionally andgeometrically as the recesses 28.

Referring now to FIG. 2, at the base of the stand is mounted a roller orball conveyor 34 on which can slide a pack-carrying tray 36. The tray 36is just large enough to carry four packs 38, 40, 42 (not shown) and 44.The packs are positioned and held on tray 36 by suitable sideand endrails so as to be in close proximity to each other, preferably withtheir inner upper rims touching. When the tray 36 and its four packs areunderneath the apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be notedthat the packs themselves occupy most of the area covered by the base ofthe apparatus.

Mounted on the cross rails 10 are a pair of guide plates 46 which serveto hold the lower ends of the guide tubes 30 in such array that eachopen tube end overlies one of the spots in a pack where a seed is to bedeposited. The tube layer ends are spaced apart a distance greater thanthe upper ends, because of the greater overall area to be covered. Thus,the bottom ends of the tubes are so arranged in the guide plates 46 thatthe tubes provide, for each pack, three rows 46 of seed deposit placesextending the length of the pack with each row having four seed depositplaces. (Thus there are four rows extending cross-wise of the pack).Therefore, on the surface of the growing material in each pack, thereare provided 12 spots at which seeds will be deposited by the respectivel2 tubes which overlie the spots. 7

As an example of this, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in FIG. 1, fourtubes numbered 48 have their tops underlying four recesses in tray 22and extend from the top of the apparatus down to the bottom. The bottomends are arranged to drop their seeds along the 'first row 46 of pack 40as shown. Similarly, four tubes 50 will extend from the top of theapparatus, and will be ar ranged so that they drop their seeds along thefirst row 46 of pack 44. In like manner, four tubes 52 extend downwardlyto drop their seeds to form the second row 54 of pack 40, and the tubes56 are arranged at the bottom end so to drop seeds along the second row54 of pack 44. In similar manner, seeds are dropped by the tubes 60 toform the third row 62 of packs 40 and 44. So also, the other tubes willbe arranged so that their bottoms drop seeds to form the correct rows inpacks 38 and 42.

It will be noted that it is the ordered array of the bottom ends of thetubes that determine where seeds will be deposited. Each top end canunderlie any one of the recesses 28 without changing the array in whichseeds are deposited. However, in order to avoid having to bend the tubes30 too much, it is preferable to have the tubes dropping seeds in agiven row and pack, originate below those recesses in tray 22 whosepositions and array bear some likeness to the array of the lower ends ofthe tubes.

From this general description, it will be seen that each time seeds aredropped down the tubes 30, fourpacks 38, 40, 42 and 44 will be plantedwith seeds in an orderly array, and, in the exemplary embodiment shownthe seeds will be planted at 12 discrete spots on the surface of theculture material in each pack.

Attached to the side of the framework is a guide sleeve 66 through whichslidably moves an actuating shaft 68. Mounted by means of a threadedextension andinut 70 at the end of the shaft is an arm 72 which isattached to a suction box 74. Between the arm 72 and the top of thesleeve 66 is provided the compression spring 73 whose function is tobias the arm 72 and thus the suction box into its uppermost position.

In order to prevent the suction box from moving down too close to theseed-carrying tray 22, a stop member 75 is provided. The suction box islarge enough to overlie completely the seed-carrying tray 22 when thelatter is underneath the former, in its terminal position.

Referring to FIG. 3, an enlarged section view (com pared to the otherdrawings) of the suction box is shown..lt comprises a shallow box-likestructure having a top 76 and the sides 78. It is hermetically closed bya bottom 80. The bottom 80 may be attached by conventional means (suchas the screws shown) to the rim of side walls 78 with appropriate gasketor other sealing means. I

The top 76 is provided with an opening 82 into which may be attachedconventionally an air hose 84. Another hole 86 provided into which isscrewed the valve supporting sleeve 88, the latter being provided at itsinner end with the valve seat 90. Slidable in' the valve 88 is the valvepiston 92 having a valve face 93 engageable with seat 90, and which isalso provided a bore 94 in the interior thereof, the bore being providedwith radial orifices 96 and 98 at each end thereof. A rounded head 100is provided at the upper end of the valve pis ton 92, and a spring 102is provided to bias the piston outwardly so that the piston closes offthe valve 90, 93.

In operation, when the valve piston 92 is moved downwardly (as viewed inFIG. 3), air is permitted to enter the interior of the suction box 74via the orifice 96, bore 94 and orifice 98. When the valve plunger is inthe position shown in FIG. 3, air cannot enter the box.

Within the suction box 74 is provided a thrust plate 106 which bearsagainst and is actuated by the enlarged end 107 of the piston 92. Thus,as the piston 92 moves down, the plate 106 is moved down thereby. Theplate is guided by posts 118 screwed into plate 80, and springs 122serve to bias plate 106 upwardly. Thus, when piston 92 moves upwardly,plate 106 moves upwardly with it. Posts 118 are provided with heads 120to prevent the plate 106 from moving too far upwardly.

Attached to the closing plate 80 of suction box are a plurality ofsuction needles 108 these matching, in number and ordered array, therecesses 28 in the seatcarrying tray 22. The attachment of the needles108 to the plate 80 is by conventional means such as soldering orwelding, and must be done so that the hole in each needle communicateswith the interior of box 76. A plurality of pins or plungers 110 isprovided which fit in the hold of each needle. There is one for eachneedle 108, and each pin fits loosely but with a predetermined clearancebetween the circumference of the pin and the inner diameter of theneedle hole. Each pin is provided with a head 112 which engages theunder surface of the plate 106 so that actuation of the latter will movethe pins in an up and down direction in the needles. Each of the pins110 is biased upwardly by a spring 113, and it will be noted byreference to FIG. 3, and also to FIG. 4, that when the plate 106 is inits uppermost direction, the lower end 114 of each pin is just slightlyabove the end 116 of the suction needles 108.

As pointed out above, the number and arrangement of the suction needles108 correspond to the number and arrangement of the recesses 28 in theseed-carrying plate 22 and are aligned therewith. Thus such suctionneedle overlies the upper end of one of the tubes 30.

The adjustment of plate 106 with respect to plunger 92 is such that whenplunger 92 has been moved up far enough downwardly to expose the orifice98 below the valve seat 90, then the pins 110 will extend just slightlybeyond the ends of the suction needles 108.

In regard to the difference between the diameter of the pins 110 and theinterior diameter of the needles 108, and as to the position of thelower end of a push pin with respect to its needle, the following may benoted:

It has been mentioned above that when the plate 106 is in its uppermostposition, the end of the pins 110 are just slightly above the end of theneedles 108. Actually, depending upon the length, shape and diameter ofthe seed being picked up by the suction needles 108, this difference canvary from one-sixteenth of an inch to. one-eighth of an inch. In view ofthe rather large variation in size and shape of individual seeds, nodimension suitable for all seeds can be given herein. The figures givenwill be suitable for most seeds.

As to the clearance between pin and needle, when the interior diameterof the suction needle 108 is approximately equal to 0.033 inches, theoutside diameter of the pins 110 should be approximately 0.031 inches.That is, for a light or small seed, the separation or gap between theouter diameter of the pin and the interior diameter of the needle shouldbe approximately 0.001 inches. For a heavier seed such as a dahlia, thisseparation is preferably about 0.005 inches or thereabout. In such case,the interior diameter of the needle can be, for example, 0.065 inches,and the pin diameter can be 0.055 inches, both dimensions beingapproximate.

Attached to the top of the suction box 74 is a support clevis 126 towhich an actuating lever 128 is attached by a pivot, the rod extendingacross the suction box so as to overlie the rounded top of the valveplunger 92. At the outer end of the actuating rod 128 is attached a pullrod or cable 130, the lower end of which is attached to one end of alever 132. The other end of the latter is pivoted conventionally by apivot 134 supported in the bracket 136 which is attached to one leg ofthe framework.

One end of the shaft 68 is provided with an eye loop 138 at which isattached one end of spring 140, the other end of which is attached to apull-rod 142 whose lower end is fastened to lever 132 by an eye 143.Thus, actuation of the lever 132 will pull the shaft 68 in a downwarddirection to move the plunger 92 downwardly against the resistance ofthe bias spring 102 and at the same time move the suction boxdownwardly. When the suction box stops and plunger 92 is fullydepressed, the spring will elongate it to provide a necessary lostmotion to permit the lever 132 to be moved further downwardly.

Pivotally attached to a bracket 146, which in turn is attached to across rail 10, is a lever 148 one end 150 thereof being in such positionas to be actuated by the end of lever 132 when the latter is moved toits further position downwardly.

Mounted on one leg of the structure is a slide-valve structure indicatedgenerally by the numeral 149 comprising a valve plate 150 having the twoorifices or ports 152 and 154. A sliding valve plate 156 is pivotallyattached by a pivot 158 to the plate 150, and has a port 160 which isadapted to align with each of the ports 152 or 154 depending upon whichof its two positions the plate 156 is in. The plate can occupy a lowerposition (illustrated in FIG. 2) or an upper position (not shown) bybeing swung about pivot 158. In its lower position, port 160 aligns withport 154. The other end 161 of lever 148 underlies an extension of valveplate 156, so that tilting of lever 148 will actuate plate 156. A spring162 biases plate 162 into its downward position.

The lever 132 is arranged so that in its furthermost downward position,it strikes the end of the lever 148 and pivots this to raise end 161 ofthe lever. This pivots plate 156 to its upper position so that port 160will align with stationary port 152. Upon a return of the lever 132 tothe upper position indicated in FIG. 1, the lever 148 is released, andthe spring 162 rotates valve plate 156 to its lower position to alignports 160 and 154, and this also rotates the lever 148 counterclockwiseto the uppermost position shown in FIG. 2.

Attached to the port 160 is one end of the flexible suction tubing 84which leads to the orifice 82 in the suction box 76.

Attached to the ports 152 and 154 are respectively air conducting hoses164 and 166. Hose 164 leads to a positive pressure air supply device,and hose 166 leads to an air suction device. Conveniently, hose 166 canbe connected to the air inlet side of an air blower, and hose 164 can beconnected to the outlet of the same device. One end of hose 84 isconnected to port 160.

Therefore, when the lever 156 is in the position shown in FIG. 2 withports 160 and 154 aligned, air is sucked through the hose 84 and thusthrough the suction box 74 via the suction needles 108; when valve plate156 is in its upper position with ports 160 and 152 aligned, air isblown into the suction box and thus outwardly through the needles 108.

The operation of the device is as follows: Referring to FIG. 2, andassuming that the seed tray 22 is in the dotted line position 24 and thesuction box is in its upper position indicated by dotted line 184, seedsare placed in each of the recesses 28, and the tray is manually moved tothe full line position shown in FIG. 2. (The air suction and blowingdevice is assumed to be operating.) The hand lever 132 is then moveddownwardly with the result that the pull rod 142 via the tension spring140 pulls the shaft 68 downwardly which in turn moves the arm 72 and thesuction box downwardly to the FIG. 2 full line position. In thisposition, the ends of the suction needles 108 will have entered therecesses 28 to be in the midst of the seeds therein. At this point,lever 148 and valve plate 156 are in the positions shown in full linesin FIG. 2, with the result that air is being sucked through the tube 84,the suction box 84 and the needles 108. As a result, to the end of eachneedle there is attracted and held one or more seeds 168. At this point,lever 132 has not been pulled far enough downto actuate plunger 92.

The handle 132 is released, thus allowing the shaft 68, the arm 72 andthe suction box 74 to rise to the upper position thus withdrawing theseed or seeds which are held to the end of the needles. This frees thetray 22, which is then moved to the left to the dotted line position 24and out of the way of the suction box. This also exposes the upper endsof the tubes 30. Again the lever 132 is moved down to move the suctionbox far enough down so that each needle enters its respective open endof tubes 30 preparatory to discharging the seeds into these tubes. Thisfurther motion of the suction box is permitted because the stop nolonger has the seed tray as an abutment. However, the stop 75 iseffective to stop further motion of the suction box when the ends of theneedles have entered the upper ends of tubes 30. At this point, thelever arm 132 is further moved downwardly, with the result that thecable pulls the lever 128 downwardly to depress plunger 92 and thusexpose the orifice 98 to the interior of the suction box. This permitsthe entrance of air into the suction box, thus releving any vacuum thatpreviously existed therein.

At the same time, the lever 132 strikes the end of the lever 148,rotating it about its pivot point in bracket 146 to as to pivot valveplate 156 to'its upper position so that port 160 aligns with port 152.Air is then blown via hoses 164 and 84, into the suction box, and outthrough the needles 108 via the clearance between the pins 110 and thewalls of the needles. Depression of plunger 92 simultaneously movesplate 106 downwardly which in turn moves the push pins 110 downwardly.The combination of the'air flowing outwardly through the needles and themechanical action of the pins thrusting against the seeds effects a sureand positive discharge of the seed or seeds from the end of each needle.

Thereafter, the lever 132 is released, which in turn permits thecounter-clockwise rotation of the lever 148 and the return of the valvelever 156 to the air suction position shown in full lines in FIG. 2. Atthe same time, the shaft 68 is permitted to rise upwardly carrying withit the suction box 74 in order to move it and the needles to theiruppermost position. This exposes the space underneath the needles sothat the seed carrying tray 22 may again be moved from its dotted lineposition 24 to the position underneath the needles. The planted packsare slid out from beneath the apparatus, four new packs are moved inplace, and the above planting cycle is repeated.

As the seeds are discharged from the needles 108, each seed or seedsfall through its proper tubing and therefore falls onto the culturesurface in the various packs in the predetermined orderly array.

A further embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 5, in which all of thestructural features of the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 embodiment are used, exceptthat neither the thrust pins 110 of the first embodiment nor plate 106are used. Instead, a porous plug is either inserted (as shown in FIG. 5)into the end of the respective needles 172, or is formed as part of acap which may be placed over the end of the needle. The porous plug 170is made of a sintered material, so as to permit the passage of airtherethrough in both directions. It is essential that the outer surface174 of the plug shall be smooth. Thus, when the needle 172 is insertedinto the recesses 28, and air is drawn therethrough, a seed 176 will bedrawn up against the end of the needle and the smooth surface of plug170, to be held there until the direction of air flow is reversed.Because of the smoothness, of the hand, if desired, the needles 108 maybe fastened to plate 80 by suitable detachable engagement such as athreaded attachment, and for a particular kind of seed the needles forthat seed may be individually substituted for previous needles.

Not all of the recesses 28 need be used. If desired, seeds may be placedin only a number of recesses and in a predetermined array, and thussince only seeds from those recesses will be picked up by the needles,the number and array of planting spots on the packs will be differentfrom what is described above.

From the above, it can readily be noted how rapid the operation ofseeding the packs is, how accurately the seeds may be placed, and howversatile the apparatus is as to kind of seed and planting arraysobtainable.

It is also to be noted that by varying the size of the needlesthemselves, in relationship to the size and shape of the seeds, by theinstant invention it is possible to arrange to pick up only one seed oras many as three seeds with each needle. The reason for this being adesired factor is that, depending on the germination factor of theseeds, it may be more advantageous to plant three seeds in one place onthe pack instead of one seed. In order to pick up a plurality of seeds,it is neces sary to increase the gap or clearance between the needle andthe pin in order to suck more air up through the needle. If this isdone, again it becomes important that the thrust rod or pin be used toassist in properly ejecting a plurality of seeds from the ends of theneedle, and also to prevent these seeds from entering into the end ofthe needle and thus plugging it. Or, the porous plug 170 may be used.

As an emphasis as to the size of the operation involved in planting suchpacks, it is to be noted that for the small horticulturist or flowergrowers 40,000 packs per year need to be planted. For the larger units,up to and over 1,000,000 packs per year must be planted. By the use ofthe instant invention, as compared to hand transplanting as earlierdescribed in this application, labor costs can be reduced to at leastone third.

In view of the above it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advan tageous results attained.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in variousways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense, and it is also intendedthat the appended claims shall cover allsuch equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is: 1. Apparatus forplanting seeds comprising a base; a seed-carrying tray on the base andhaving a plurality of recesses therein to carry seeds; a hollow suctionbox mounted on the base, the seed-carrying tray and suction box beingpositionable with respect to each other in two positions, in the firstposition the suction box being over the seed tray, and in the secondposition the suction box and seed tray being laterally displaced fromone another; a plurality of hollow suction needles fastened to andextending downwardly from the suction box, the needles and recessesbeing in the same ordered array and equal in number, the needles beingcentered over the recesses when the suction box is over the tray,

the upper ends of the needles opening into the suction box and the lowerends of the needles being adapted to enter said recesses when thesuction box is in the'first position; means for sucking air through saidneedles and into said box thereby to attach and hold temporarily a seedat the lower end of each of the needles; means for blowing air out ofsaid box through the needles to discharge the seeds from the needles;mechanical means for assisting the seeds to become discharged from theneedles; and valve means for first causing a suction in the box to causeair to flow into the box through said needles, and thereafter reversingthe flow of air tocause it to flow out of the box through the needles.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a plurality of hoses having upperand lower ends, said hoses extending from the top of said basedownwardly to a position above the bottom-of said base, the upper endsof each of said hoses underlying said needles, and the lower ends of thehoses being a sufficient distance above the bottom of the base to permitthe positioningof at least one pack below said lower ends, the upperends of the hoses being in the same ordered array as said recesses andsaid needles, and each needle being centered over the upper end of asingle hose.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 including mounting means adapted to move thesuction box upwardly and downwardly from an upper position to a lowerposition and vice-versa, the suction box with its needles when in theupper position being high enough above the top of said base to permitthe introduction therebelow of said seed carrying tray, and the suctionbox when in its lower position being positioned so that each of saidneedles enters into the upper end of a corresponding hose.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 including a lever for moving said suction box inan up and down direction, and also for moving said valve, the apparatusincluding an air suction and airblowing means, and a valve mounted so asto be actuated by said lever from a first position to a second position,the valve being in its second position when the suction box is in itslower position to channel air from the air blower into the box and outthrough said needles, and the valve being in its first position when thesuction box is in its upper position to channel air through said needlesinto said box and to said suction means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the mechanical means for assistingthe seeds to become discharged from the needle comprises a pin slidablewithinthe bore of each needle, the pin being adapted to be moved alongthe length of the needle sufficiently so that one end of the pinprojects below the outer end of the needle at the time that air is beingblown through the needle, the pin being adapted to be retracted into theneedle so that the said one end is slightly within the needle.

6. Apparatus of claim including a thrust plate movably mounted withinthe interior of the suction box, and actuable to move each push pindownwardly to thrust a seed from the end of its respective needle; thesuction box having an inlet, avalve operable when in one position toclose said inlet, and when in another position to open said inlet; andmeans for actuating said valve when the suction box and its needles arein their lower position to permit entrance of air into the suction box.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 including stop means mounted on the suctionbox to abut against the seedcarrying tray when the latter is below thesuction box, thus limiting the down-ward motion of the suction box; saidstop being adapted to butt against the top of the base when theseed-carrying tray and suction box are displaced away from each other,thereby permitting the suction box to move down to position in whicheach of said needles projects into the top end of each of said hoses.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the diameters of the thrust pinsare less than the diameter of the bore of said needles, thereby toprovide an air gap between said thrust pins and the walls of said boreto permit the passage of air through the needle in both directions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the radial length of said air gapis within the range of 0.001 inches to 0.005 inches.

10. Apparatus for planting seeds comprising a base; a seed-carrying trayon the base and having at least one recess therein to carry seeds; ahollow suction box mounted on the base, the seed-carrying tray andsuction box being positionable with respect to each other in twopositions, in the first position the suction box being over the seedtray, and in the second position the suction box and seed tray beinglaterally displaced from one another; at least one hollow suction needlefastened to and extending downwardly from the suction box, the upper endof the needle opening into the suction box and the lower end of theneedle being adapted to enter said recess when the suction box is in thefirst position; means for sucking air through said needle and into saidbox thereby to attach and hold temporarily a seed at the lower end ofthe needle; means for blowing air out of said box through the needle todischarge the seed from the needle; mechanical means for assisting theseed to become discharged from the needle, comprising a porous plugfitted to the lower end of the needle, the plug being porous enough topermit air to pass therethrough in both directions, the outer surface ofsaid porous plug being sufficiently smooth as to hinder the inadvertentattachment thereto by the outer periph' ery of a seed; and valve meansfor first causing a suction in the box to cause air to flow into the boxthrough said needle, and thereafter reversing the flow of air to causeit to flow out of the box through the needle.

1. Apparatus for planting seeds comprising a base; a seedcarrying trayon the base and having a plurality of recesses therein to carry seeds; ahollow suction box mounted on the base, the seed-carrying tray andsuction box being positionable with respect to each other in twopositions, in the first position the suction box being over the seedtray, and in the second position the suction box and seed tray beinglaterally displaced from one another; a plurality of hollow suctionneedles fastened to and extending downwardly from the suction box, theneedles and recesses being in the same ordered array and equal innumber, the needles being centered over the recesses when the suctionbox is over the tray, the upper ends of the needles opening into thesuction box and the lower ends of the needles being adapted to entersaid recesses when the suction box is in the first position; means forsucking air through said needles and into said box thereby to attach andhold temporarily a seed at the lower end of each of the needles; meansfor blowing air out of said box through the needles to discharge theseeds from the needles; mechanical means for assisting the seeds tobecome discharged from the needles; and valve means for first causing asuction in the box to cause air to flow into the box through saidneedles, and thereafter reversing the flow of air to cause it to flowout of the box through the needles.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1including a plurality of hoses having upper and lower ends, said hosesextending from the top of said base downwardly to a position above thebottom of said base, the upper ends of each of said hoses underlyingsaid needles, and the lower ends of the hoses being a sufficientdistance above the bottom of the base to permit the positioning of atleast one pack below said lower ends, the upper ends of the hoses beingin the same ordered array as said recesses and said needles, and eachneedle being centered over the upper end of a single hose.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 including mounting means adapted to move thesuction box upwardly and downwardly from an upper position to a lowerposition and vice-versa, the suction box with its needles when in theupper position being high enough above the top of said base to permitthe introduction therebelow of said seed carrying tray, and the suctionbox when in its lower position being positioned so that each of saidneedles enters into the upper end of a corresponding hose.
 4. Apparatusof claim 3 including a lever for moving said suction box in an up anddown direction, and also for moving said valve, the apparatus includingan air suction and air blowing means, and a valve mounted so as to beactuated by said lever from a first position to a second position, thevalve being in its second position when the suction box is in its lowerposition to channel air from the air blower into the box and out throughsaid needles, and the valve being in its first position when the suctionbox is in its upper position to channel air through said needles intosaid box and to said suction means.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 in whichthe mechanical means for assisting the seeds to become discharged fromthe needle comprises a pin slidable within the bore of each needle, thepin being adapted to be moved along the length of the needlesufficiently so that one end of the pin projects below the outer end ofthe needle at the time that air is being blown through the needle, thepin being adapted to be retracted into the needle so that the said oneend is slightly within the needle.
 6. Apparatus of claim 5 including athrust plate movably mounted within the interior of the suction box, andactuable to move each push pin downwardly to thrust a seed from the endof its respective needle; the suction box having an inlet, a valveoperable when in one position to close said inlet, and when in anotherposition to open said inlet; and means for actuating said valve when thesuction box and its needles are in their lower position to permitentrance of air into the suction box.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2including stop means mounted on the suction box to abut against theseed-carrying tray when the latter is below the suction box, thuslimiting the down-ward motion of the suction box; said stop beingadapted to butt against the top of the base when the seed-carrying trayand suction box are displaced away from each other, thereby permittingthe suction box to move down to position in which each of said needlesprojects into the top end of each of said hoses.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 5 in which the diameters of the thrust pins are less than thediameter of the bore of said needles, thereby to provide an air gapbetween said thrust pins and the walls of said bore to permit thepassage of air through the needle in both directions.
 9. The apparatusof claim 8 in which the radial length of said air gap is within therange of 0.001 inches to 0.005 inches.
 10. Apparatus for planting seedscomprising a base; a seed-carrying tray on the base and having at leastone recess therein to carry seeds; a hollow suction box mounted on thebase, the seed-carrying tray and suction box being positionable withrespect to each other in two positions, in the first position thesuction box being over the seed tray, and in the second position thesuction box and seed tray being laterally displaced from one another; atleast one hollow suction needle fastened to and extending downwardlyfrom the suction box, the upper end of the needle opening into thesuction box and the lower end of the needle being adapted to enter saidrecess when the suction box is in the first position; means for suckingair through said needle and into said box thereby to attach and holdtemporarily a seed at the lower end of the needle; means for blowing airout of said box through the needle to discharge the seed from theneedle; mechanical means for assisting the seed to become dischargedfrom the needle, comprising a porous plug fitted to the lower end of theneedle, the plug being porous enough to permit air to pass therethroughin both directions, the outer surface of said porous plug beingsufficiently smooth as to hinder the inadvertent attachment thereto bythe outer periphery of a seed; and valve means for first causing asuction in the box to cause air to flow into the box through saidneedle, and thereafter reversing the flow of air to cause it to flow outof the box through the needle.